Starks Top Priority Now Is Emergency Broadband Program

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks' top priority for the next few weeks is ensuring as many people as possible can access the $3.2 billion emergency broadband benefit program. He told Incompas Tuesday it could reach more low-income households and communities of color than any other program to help close the digital divide (see 2102090079). It's important to broadly publicize the program and encourage ISPs to participate, he added.

“I’ll work to make sure the rules are as clear and simple as possible, and that the commission answers your questions quickly,” Starks said. He urged providers to contact his office if they have any concerns about potential operational hurdles: “We need you to be a part of this national effort.”

There are many opportunities for bipartisanship at the FCC, particularly on telehealth and national security, said Commissioner Brendan Carr. There’s plenty of common ground to ensure a fair and free internet, he said, but the “third rail” is reclassifying broadband service under Communications Act Title II: With connectivity “more important than before, I think it’s a mistake to go back to that.” Carr repeated his support for a light-touch regulatory approach, saying the current approach has been a “smashing success.”

The commission’s ability to address student needs during the pandemic “has been hamstrung by the previous administration’s crabbed interpretation of the E-rate statute,” Starks said. It’s important that the FCC quickly allow more flexibility in the E-rate program so it can be readily available during future extenuating circumstances.

Tilson CEO Joshua Broder said challenges remain for broadband deployment in rural areas, but affordability and availability also remain a concern for urban communities. “I don’t think those communities should be overlooked,” Broder said. Costs should be reasonable and not viewed as a revenue source for localities, he said. Companies should be clear in articulating the public benefit of their actions when trying to deliver broadband, Broder said.